


Gotcha

by supafroot



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Blackmail, Gen, Missions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-17 13:26:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29717844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/supafroot/pseuds/supafroot
Summary: Team Dark's latest mission leads to a very surprising suspect.
Comments: 14
Kudos: 38





	Gotcha

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there! This is the prequel to Stuck On You. If you were wondering how Tails met Team Dark, you'll know soon enough! Enjoy :)

Tails stares at the screen, a smile plastered on his face. This is it. Jackpot. This will fuel his endeavors nicely. More than that, even. He might have to revisit the drawing board to take advantage.

In seconds the material Tails needs is saved onto his USB, and he scrambles out of the office. The fox slips out through the window, not leaving a trace of himself. Digital or otherwise. He laughs as he makes his grand escape. 

Sometimes people are too stupid.

**…**

"I don't know why someone would do this to me. I'm innocent!"

Shadow rolls his eyes. This latest mission is a real pain in the ass. Some bigwig insurance guy is being blackmailed out of his millions and he couldn't care less. This guy is nuts, and obviously not as "innocent" as he wants them to believe. No one gets this rich and powerful without doing some pretty shitty things. 

"You need to find them and put a stop to this!"

Rouge sighs, hand on her hip. "You see, we'd love to help but in order to do so you need to tell us what's really going on."

The human narrows his eyes, frowning. "I'm telling you all you need to know."

"No, you're not," Shadow speaks up. "You haven't told us what this blackmailer wants, or what dirt they have on you."

The human - James Hanson, Shadow remembers - glares at him. "He wants me to 'redistribute my wealth to those I have wronged' apparently. Here, it's in the note he left." 

James passes them a slip of paper and they read it over. Sure enough that's what the note says, in addition to specific instructions on how to do so. There are several names on the list, and the amounts requested to be sent to each person are very generous. The note is signed by 'The Tornado' and Shadow raises an eyeridge. 

GUN has been looking for this mysterious Tornado for months. They started out as some small time hacker, stealing from people with bank accounts large enough to handle a bit of loss. But then they started going after bigger fish, and that's when they got GUN's attention. Several of GUN sponsors and supporters have been hit hard by this Tornado, and they aren't happy about it.

Whoever this person is, they've thought it all out and have likely taken any transgressions made by Mr Hanson personally. Why else would they use something as personal as blackmail? To use fear when they could just use the element of surprise, like they have in the past, speaks to someone who wants to watch things burn.

Shadow is pulled from his musings when Rouge asks, "Why so confident that this is a 'he' that we're talking about?" 

"Are you telling me a woman could do something like this?" Mr Hanson laughs. 

Great, so he's a misogynistic ass too. Shadow feels like punching this guy.

Rouge looks annoyed but doesn't let it phase her. "That's what we're saying. But anyway, what's this person got on you?"

Mr Hanson sets his jaw. "That's private."

"Well you better tell us or else we can't help you," Shadow says exasperated. How does this guy not get it? 

"I don't see how I must tell you, it isn't relevant and-"

"BASED ON YOUR HEART RATE AND HEAT SIGNATURE, IT WOULD APPEAR THAT YOU ARE EMBARRASSED." Omega interrupts.

Mr Hanson blushes. "I am not, I'm just stressed."

Shadow rolls his eyes. "Sure." He's tired of dancing around the subject. He thinks he knows what this is all about.

"Let me guess, you were dumb enough to keep some filthy shit on your work computer and this blackmailer got a hold of it." He pauses, looking Mr Hanson up and down. "Am I right?"

Mr Hanson is a picture of rage. "How dare you, you little shit! I'll have you know-"

"Ah, so I am right," Shadow interrupts. "What was it? A sex tape? Pictures? Both?"

Rouge smothers a laugh and Shadow smiles. Mr Hanson looks even angrier, somehow. After a moment of silence he breaks, muttering "Both."

"BINGO." Mr Hanson shoots Omega a glare. Shadow snickers.

"For the record, it was on my  _ personal _ laptop, that I happened to leave in my work office for a night. One night!"

Shadow clicks his tongue. The suspect must have been watching Mr Hanson for quite some time if they noticed that slip up. "So what's so bad that you can't sweep it under the rug with all that money of yours?"

Mr Hanson pales. "Well for starters, my wife doesn't know. This would ruin my family." 

Shadow rolls his eyes. That would be a fine answer for some chum, but not him. "But that's not the kicker, is it?"

"No." Mr Hanson leans back in his chair and covers his face with his hands. "It was supposed to be a private party, but I couldn't resist. I needed something to remember it by."

Rouge steps forward with interest. "A private party? What are you talking about?"

"I think he's talking about a good old fashioned orgy," Shadow drawls. 

Mr Hanson nods and Rouge lets out a heavy breath. She pinches the bridge of her nose. "Who's involved?"

"A lot of powerful people. People that would ruin me should this get out." Mr Hanson uncovers his face, eyes red and holding back tears. "I'd lose everything."

Shadow thinks that wouldn't be too bad. Fuck this guy. If you ask him, they should be applauding this stranger instead of hunting them down. But they're on a mission, and he knows that GUN wants this cleaned up as soon as possible. They can't have their friends in trouble, afterall.

Shadow sighs and steps forward. Better get on with it. "Alright, let's see it then."

"Excuse me?" 

Rouge clears her throat. "I believe my partner is talking about the tape. And photos." 

Mr Hanson shakes his head. "No! I can't do that!"

"WE MUST KNOW WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO RETRIEVE. IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT WE IDENTIFY THE MATERIAL."

Again, Mr Hanson pales. After moments of tense silence he nods. He pulls up the items on the screen, and the three agents huddle up being him for a look. 

There is heavy silence as they watch the video. Just as James had said, there are several notable people involved in some very  _ interesting _ activities. The video and subsequent photos are full of explicit material that would do wonders on the internet.

"Well, that's certainly something." Rouge speaks up afterwards. Shadow nods his head in agreement. 

"I CAN SEE WHY THIS WOULD LEAD TO FAILURE ON YOUR PART. MEATBAGS ARE FILTHY."

"You can't tell a soul what you saw, do you understand me?"

The three nod, but then look at each other knowingly. Their reports will be  _ very _ detailed, that's for sure. The higher ups are going to hate it.

"Well then, we ought to get started," Rouge purrs. "Omega, do your thing."

Omega scans the room, before stating "THERE IS NOTHING OF SIGNIFICANCE HERE."

"Hm," Rouge says, "how odd. Whoever did this is  _ very _ skilled. Professional, even. Do you think you can trace them in another way?"

"I WILL SEE WHAT I CAN DO."

"Good. And Shadow?" He tilts his head in acknowledgement. "See if you can track them. Do your thing."

Shadow grins. He inhales deep, finding what he needs. "Sure thing."

**…**

Tails is panicking. He isn't sure how they found him. He was so,  _ so _ careful. He didn't leave a trace, he's sure of it. So how?

He scrambles to gather his things and get out of his lab. Tails knows that they must be on their way. But he's fast. Keeping up with Sonic isn't easy, afterall. 

The kid runs out the door, elated that this is working. Sure, it's not ideal that he was found out, but he can always hide again. He's good at it; he's been doing this for long enough. No one has to know, not even his brother.

_ Especially _ not his brother.

The laughter bubbling from his throat dies when he sees a dark figure before him. They're a hedgehog, roughly the same height and size as Sonic. They stand with confidence, poised and ready for whatever move Tails has next. Their fur is pitch black, with red streaks along their limbs and quills. Crimson eyes are piercing, looking him up and down. 

"You're much younger than I thought you'd be." 

The hedgehog's voice is deep and gruff, intimidating like the rest of him. Tails begins to tremble, despite his best efforts. But he's got too much at stake, he isn't about to let someone stop him now. He can move, so he can fight. He has to.

Tails bares his teeth and hisses. He turns his heel, meaning to run away through the back door. But the hedgehog behind him is  _ fast _ , staying only a few steps behind. It seems as if they aren't even  _ trying _ and it shakes him up. Soon Tails sees the door, but he is then stopped by a large bot and a bat blocking his way. 

"Slow down there, dear. We wouldn't want you to get hurt." The bat purrs. She looks him up and down, teal eyes curious. "Oh my, you really are young."

"What's it to you?" Tails growls. This is bad. Really bad. He's been caught, and had. When Sonic finds out he'll be pissed. 

"YOUR AGE IS A SURPRISING FACTOR DUE TO THE MATERIAL THAT WAS STOLEN FROM JAMES HANSON." The bot's voice echoes within the small walls of Tails' lab. 

"Exactly." The hedgehog behind Tails speaks up. "Aren't you a little young to be leaking sex tapes?"

"Well if you want to be specific, I haven't leaked anything. So you've got nothing on me." Tails knows he's grasping at straws, but he still has a chance to fight this. 

The bat and the hedgehog look at each other before smirking. "What's your name?" The hedgehog asks him.

They don't seem hostile, but Tails isn't one to be trusting the enemy. They've obviously been sent to retrieve him and what he stole. "None of your business," he spits out.

"Oh my, you're a feisty one," the bat giggles. "I like that." 

She flies down from her perch on the bot's shoulder and winks at Tails. She's really pretty, he notes. "I'm Rouge, this is Omega, and that handsome fella over there is Shadow."

The three agents step away from Tails, making him feel less caged in. He's grateful for it, but not at the same time. There's something too... casual about this whole thing. As if he's the only one taking it seriously.

"So what's next?" Tails asks, cutting to the chase. "You gonna bring me in?" Tails tries to mentally prepare himself. He knows that this will be a scandal, and that such things aren't a good look. He knows that Sonic will be… disappointed when he finds out what he's been up to.

There's a lot of things Sonic would do to make things right -  _ a lot _ \- but this definitely crosses a line. Tails doubts that Sonic will be happy to learn that his little brother is blackmailing someone with extremely sensitive content, or that he's been redistributing large amounts of money for months now. 

"Actually, no." Shadow says. Tails glances back in confusion. The agent is picking at his gloves, looking bored. "We actually don't have a problem with what you're doing."

Tails' jaw drops. "Excuse me?" 

"JAMES HANSON IS A MAN THAT HAS THE MEANS TO CHANGE LIVES YET DOES NOTHING BUT BUILD HIS OWN WEALTH. YOUR ATTEMPTS TO RIGHT HIS WRONGS ARE ADMIRABLE."

"He's right. You're like a modern day Robin Hood, kid." Rouge smiles, flashing pearly white teeth. "The only problem is our employer, you see. They want this mess cleaned up right away. But they don't need to know about you, if we don't want them to. If you know what I mean." 

Tails raises an eyeridge. "What are you saying?" 

"We're saying that we'll pretend we never found you, but only if you continue to use your powers for good," Rouge sing songs.

"How's that? If you guys found me then there could be others close behind."

"Not a chance," Rouge flicks her wrist dismissively. "The only reason we caught you here is because Shadow here tracked your scent."

"He  _ what _ ?" 

"Yeah, weird, right?" Rouge laughs and wipes a tear from her eye. "You should see your face!"

Tails glances at the hedgehog behind him and wraps his namesakes around himself. This person is very,  _ very _ strange. Tracking by scent? That's not something Mobians can do. Not normal ones, anyway. Add that on top of his strange features, and you've got an uncanny picture indeed. Tails wonders just who this person is. 

The trio stand around him, unmoving. It seems as if they are waiting for him to make a move. After a moment of tense silence, Tails does so. He turns back to Rouge, the assumed leader, asking "Don't you want to know why I'm doing this?"

"NO. WE ALREADY KNOW."

Rouge nods. "We looked into the names of the people you listed on your little reimbursement list. All of them had been insured through Hanson Insurance but were not supported when Ivo Robotnik last tore through the city. They lost everything."

"But you're making sure they get it back." Shadow says with a lilt in his voice, as if he's impressed. Tails somehow feels that is something to be proud of.

Tails turns to Shadow again and sees that the agent is looking at him with interest. He feels exposed under those crimson eyes, as if he cannot hide. There's something there, something like realization, but Tails can't think of as to why. 

"SO WHAT DO YOU SAY? WILL YOU CONTINUE TO MILK THE UPPER CRUST FOR ALL THEY ARE WORTH, OR SHALL WE TAKE YOU IN?"

"Geez, Omega. Be more subtle," Rouge scolds. 

"You seriously don't have a problem with what I'm doing?" Tails asks slowly. 

The agent's exchange looks and then shake their heads. "Sometimes you have to do some bad for a lot of good. And if you ask us, he had it coming. And so will all the others you'll eventually go after," Shadow says.

"So what's the plan, kid?" Rouge places her hands on her hips. 

Tails sets his jaw. "You never saw me. This never happened."

"AFFIRMATIVE."

"Alright then! While it was fun to meet you, we have got to go now. Make sure you do better on not leaving a trail. No one is nearly as good as we are, but it's best not to get sloppy." Rouge winks at him.

Tails nods in understanding, face heating up. "You got it."

The trio starts to leave, Shadow stepping past the fox carefully. Something stirs inside Tails, and suddenly he wants them to stop. These three just saved his butt and have asked for nothing for themselves in return. They seem trustworthy from their actions, and Tails could use all the help he can get if he continues his endeavors. 

"Wait!" They turn to him curiously. "My name is Miles. My friends call me Tails."

The three look at each other, before smiling.

"But you already knew that, didn't you?" Tails huffs, putting a hand on his hip. "What gave it away?"

"The tails," the trio says in unison. Oh yeah, right.

With a giggle Rouge adds on, "I'm rather surprised that the Hero of Mobius has such a devious brother..." she puts a finger to her cheek, feigning shock. "Mr Goody Two Shoes must not know about your after-school activities, huh?"

"He can't know about this." His namesakes come to wrap around Tails again. 

"Don't worry about it. He won't learn of this, definitely not from us," Shadow says. Rouge cracks a grin, wide and sly.

"Oh? Wouldn't you like an excuse to finally talk to the cutie?" Rouge teases.

Shadow rolls his eyes. "That blue showoff is none of our business," he says dismissively. Tails sighs in relief, but also raises an eyeridge in question. There's a story here, and his nosey butt wants to know what it is.

"If you say so, loverboy. And you," Rouge steps forward and shakes Tails' hand, "consider us friends then, Tails. Friends call us Team Dark."

"Here." Shadow pulls a notepad from his quills, writing something down before tearing out the slip of paper and passing it to Tails. "Call us if anything comes up. We'll protect you, if needed."

Tails' mouth opens in wonder. "Sure thing," he mummers. 

With that the trio leaves, and Tails is left to his own devices. Immediately he looks at the paper. On it is a phone number and an email. Tails puts both into his phone, saving them under 'Team Dark.' What a strange group of people. But friends are friends, and Tails isn't one to question a good thing. He scrambles out of his lab and towards home. 

He definitely can't tell anyone about this. No one has to know. No one has to know about the money, the video, the photos. No one, not even his brother.

_ Especially _ not his brother.

**Author's Note:**

> Tails is... something, isn't he? Team Dark loved him immediately. As always, please tell me what you think of this!


End file.
